Salt-N-Pepa Talk Hip-Hop 50, Grammys & Misogyny In Rap

And lose their minds, people did. The 13-minute performance kicked off with Black Thought, followed by Grandmaster Flash with Barshon, Mele Mel, Rahiem & Scorpio performing “Flash to the Beat” and “The Message.” LL Cool J, Chuck D and Flava Flav, Method Man, Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Nelly and Big Boi also joined in on the iconic performance. In matching suits, Salt-N-Pepa brought electric energy to the stage belting out “My Mic Sounds Nice.” Repping the rest of the female rap artists, Queen Latifah sang “U.N.I.T.Y.,” Missy Elliot held it down with “Lose Control,” and GloRilla got the crowd on their feet with “F.N.F. (Let’s Go).” The performance was a joyful highlight during a show full of highs and lows for Black artists. Like the Grammys have continuously proved (Salt-N-Pepa have boycotted the show in the past), Black artists — especially women — often have to define success for themselves.